Friday, March 17, 2017

Europe

Vacillating instincts, corroded beliefs, obsessions, and anility: everywhere conquerors in
retreat, rentiers of heroism confronting the young Alarics who lie in wait for Rome and Athens;
everywhere paradoxes of the lymphatic. There was a time when salon sallies traversed whole countries,
foiled stupidity or refined it. Europe, coquettish and intractable, was in the flower of her age; — decrepit
today, Europe excites no one. Even so, certain barbarians await their chance to inherit the finery,
impatient at her long agony.